Finger-guard bar for headers or harvesters.



No. 663,318. Patented nen. 4, |900. a. T. wlLLls.

FINGER GUARD BAB FUR HEADEBS 0R HARVESTERS.

(Animation-med Apr. so, 1900.. (N o M o d e I wie Nnms s1-:ns co..wofoumo.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

llNrrn "Stratus ATENT U Fries.

GLENN T. WILLIS, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES PORTEOUS, OFSAME PLACE.

FINGER-GUARD BAR FOR HEADERS OR HARVESTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,318, dated December4, 1900.

Application filed April 30, 1900. Serial No. 14,883. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it wty concern:

Be it known that I, GLENN T WILLIs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fresno, county of Fresno, and State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Guard Bars forHeaders or Harvesters; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to harvesters, and more especially to that formthereof known as headers In these machines the forwardly-projectingfinger-guards carry the reciprocating cutter or sickle and arethemselves carried by and secured to a bar which is called thefinger-guard bar. Back of the bar and of the cutter is thedraper-platform with its traveling draper, which receives the out headsof the grain and carries them to the accompanying header-wagon. Thefinger-guard bar is a long one, extending' across the front of themachine. It must necessarily be a strong bar and adapted to have thefinger-guards secured rigidly and firmly lo it. In some cases it is ofwood; but a more approved construction requires it to be of steel, andwith this in View and in order to secure lightness and strength the baris made as an angle-bar.. There are two ways of reciprocating thecutter. One is by means of a pitman applied to the end of the cutter,and when such rapplication is made the angle finger-guard bar can bemade throughout its length of a like cross-section, as it will notinterfere with anything. The other way of driving the cutter is to applythe pitman to its middle. This is known as a centerdrive,7 and when suchis used the angle finger-guard bar cannot be of like cross-sectionthroughout, because it will interfere with the pitman. The obviousexpedient of cutting a slot through it to permit the pitman to passthrough is not a good construction, on account of the weakening of thebar thereby. This is true also of the common practice of cutting downthe middle portion of a wooden bar.

My invention is applicable to the centerdrive cutters, and has for itsobject the provision of a linger-guard bar which shall be of theapproved angle type in general, yet so modilied at its middle as willnot interfere with the pitman, the entire bar being strong and light.

My invention consists in the novel fingerguard bar and in itsconnections, which I shall now describe and claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a rear elevationshowing the modied middle portion of the finger-guard bar and a part ofsaid bar on each side thereof, together with such connected parts as maybe shown without confusion. section of the bar at either side of itsmiddlesay on the line a; a; of Fig. l-and also shows the usual parts andconnection-s of the headerfront in this plane. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionof like nature as that of Fig. 2, but taken at the middle or modifiedportion of the barsay on the line y y of Fig. l.

The finger-guard bar A is an angle steel bar and has the generalcross-section shown in Fig. 2, but at its middle portion it has thecross-section shown in Fig. 3. These sections differ, as will be seen bycomparison of Figs. 2 and 3, in having the top or horizontal part d ofthe bar dropped in Fig. 3 and the upper part of leg portion ct movedforward. This modification of the section is made by depressing thewhole section without cutting any of the material away, (as is doneWhere a wooden finger-guard bar is cut down in the middle,) therebyleaving the bar of full strength.

To the back of the bar A throughout its entire length is secured theangle steel bar B, which stiffens it and forms a support for thetraveling draper. At its middle portion said bar Bis dropped, as shownin Fig. 3, to' conform to the drop of the middle of the bar A. In Fig. 2O represents the finger-guards. These are made, as usual, in sectionsand are secu red by their Shanks c under the top plate d ofthefinger-guard bar A. In Fig. 3, where the top plate ct of thelinger-guard bar is dropped, the shanks c of the linger-guard sectionsare also dropped, as shown, in order to pass under and to be secured tothe dropped top plate a of the finger-guard bar. In both figures Dis thecutter and E is the .back guide-plate. F is the draper, consisting ofone of the usual belts f, canvasf', and draper-stick f2. In Fig. 2 theforward draperbeltf of the upper fold of the draper travels on thestiffening angle-bar B; but in Fig. 3, because said angle-bar isdropped, it cannot travel thereon, and therefore a supplemen- Fig. 2 isa cross- IOO tary bar B' is provided for it to rest on. This bar bridgesthe dropped middle section of the angle-bar B and is secured thereto.The lower fold of the draper travels back over the usual platform Gr,Fig. 2, which is carried by the main support H, which also carries thefinger-guard bar. This support I-I is a bracket which is secured to theframework of the front of the machine.

Now by referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that on account of thedropped middle section of the finger-guard barAand its stideningangle-bar B and on account of the forwardly-pressed upper portion of theleg of said bar A the pitman J can be turned upwardly behind thefinger-guard bar and reach over its top to its connection with thecutter D, which connection is made, as usual, by having its extremityenter a strap-loop CZ secured under the cutter. To prevent the wea'r ofthe pitman on the dropped top plate of the finger-guard bar, awearing-plate K is secured upon said top, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus I amenabled to provide the light and strong angle finger-guard bar with acenterdrive pitman and yet not weaken said bar.

In machines where the pitman is an end drive an angle steel finger-guardbar adapted to carry the guards, supplemented by the steel angle-bar onits hack, arranged not only to strengthen the main bar, but to serve asa bearing for the draper, will be found of great advantage. In such acase both bars would be straight throughout and each of the samecross-section throughout, as no middle modilcation would be needed. Toprevent the Iinger-guard bar from cutting into the ground when travelingclose thereto, and thereby piling up the sand and stopping the machine,the lower edge of said bar, as shown at a2, is made to curve or roundbackwardly.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a header or harvester, having a center-drive, cutter-operatingpitman,-a fingerguard bar, having its whole cross-section dropped at itsmiddle portion, whereby the pitman can pass above said portion, Withoutinterference.

2. In a header or harvester, having a center-drive, cutter-operatingpitman, an angle steel finger-guard bar, having its Whole crosssectiondropped at its middle portion, and adapted to permit the pitman to passover said portion, without interference.

3. In a header or harvester, having a center-drive, cutter-operatingpitman, an angle nger-guard bar, having its cross-section, at its middleportion, niodiied by dropping its top plate, and by pressing forward theupper portion of its leg, said modified cross-section being adapted topermit the pitman to pass over it, Without interference.

4. In a header or harvester, having a center-drive, cutter-operatingpitman, an angle steel finger-guard bar, and an angle steel.

strengthening-bar secured to its back, both bars having a droppedcross-section, at their middle portion, adapted to permit the pitman topass over said bars, without interference.

5. In a header or harvester, having a center-drive, cutter-operatingpitman, an angle steel linger guard bar,i and an angle steelstrengthening-bar secured to its back, both bars having a droppedcross-section at their middle portion, adapted to permit the pitman topass over said bars, without interference, in combination with asupplementary bar bridging the dropped section of the angle steelstilening-bar, and a draper traveling on said stiiening-bar andsupplementary bar.

6. In a header or harvester having a centerdrive, cutter-operatingpitman, an angled finger-guard bar having a dropped cross-section at itsmiddle portion, adapted to permit the pitman to pass above it withoutinterference, and linger-guard sections having stems secured to the topplate of said finger-guard bar, the stems of the middle finger-guardsections beingdropped,to conform to the dropped cross-section ol' thefinger-guard bar.

7. In a header or harvester, the combination of the angled finger-guardbar, having its middle cross-section modiiied by dropping its top plateand pressing forward the upper portion of its leg, finger-guard sectionshaving stems secured to the top plate of the finger-guard bar, the stemsof the middle sections being dropped to conform to the dropped top plateof the finger-guard bar, a cutter in the linger-guards, and acenter-drive pitman having its forward end bent up behind said modiedsection of the linger-guard bar and over its top plate and connectedwith the cutter.

S. In a header or harvester, the combination of the angled finger-guardbar, having its middle cross-section modied by dropping its top plateand pressing forward the upper portion of its leg, finger-guard sectionshaving stems secured to the top plate of the fingerguard bar, the stemsof the middle sections being dropped to conform to the dropped top plateof the finger-guard bar, a cutter in the nger-guards, a center-drivepitman having its forward end bent up behind said modified section ofthe nger-guard bar and over its top plate and connected with the cutter,an angle steel strengthening-bar secured to the back of the linger-guardbar, and having a dropped middle section, lying under the pitman, asupplementary bar bridging the dropped middle section of thestrengtheningbar, and lying over the pitman, and a draper traveling onsaid strengthening and supplement-ary bars.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GLENN T. WILLIS.

Witnesses:

W. J. KITTRELL, W. T. PORTER.

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